4 Salvation is of the Jews.-The Messias was to be born of a Jewish stock. This the Samaritans knew and she perceived the force of it, as we see in verse 25.

"The true adorer.-The faithful Christian.

In spirit and in truth.-The plain sense of these words is—both your sacrifices are material but yours is false, besides being truth diluted or heresy ; but a new Sacrifice is coming, which is real but spiritual and true also. In fact, even the Sacrifice of the Mass would profit little if it were not offered and heard in a proper spirit. In the True Church alone is it preserved.

'In spirit.—Prayer is more the work of the mind than of the tongue. Lip-service is very poor, only a noise.

Messias cometh.-The poor creature looked for Him.

'He will tell us all things.-She had right notions about Him.

101 am he, who am speaking with thee.-The after history of this woman is written in old chronicles. The Greeks honour her as a Saint. Her name is in the Roman Martyrology, 20th March-S. Photina.

3rd. Spirit in contemplation.

4th. Truth in not communi

4th. They reach upon each cating in heretical worship.

other.

27. Et continuò venerunt discipuli ejus, et mirabantur quia cum muliere loquebatur. Nemo tamen dixit: "Quid quæris, aut quid loqueris cum eâ ? "

28. Reliquit ergò hydriam suam mulier, et abiit in civitatem et dicit illis hominibus:

27. And immediately 1his disciples came : and they wondered that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said: "What seekest thou, or why talkest thou with her.

28. The woman, therefore, left her water-pot, and went away into the city, and saith to those men :

E

29. Come, and see a man who hath told me all things that ever I did. Is not he the Christ?

30. Then they went out of the city, and came to him.

31. In the mean time the disciples prayed him, saying: "Rabbi, eat.

32. But he said to them: I have food to eat which you know not of.

33. The disciples, therefore, said one to another: Hath any man brought him any thing to

eat.

34. Jesus said to them: My food is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work.

Jewish Rabbis were forbidden to speak to women in public, and this fanaticism was carried so far among some Buddhists that a priest was not allowed to touch his own mother in order to save her from drowning. Our Lord neither mixed in female society nor avoided them when He did them good or when they sought favours from Him. At the same time He was careful to give no evil-minded persons cause for inventing calumnies, and in all the calumnies said against Him by Pharisees we find none on this point.

Ascetic theologians draw a lesson from this for priests, religious and piously disposed persons to be careful about interviews. The argument may be derived from some other source, but the force of this incident goes the other way.

1His disciples.-Those who had gone to the village to buy food. They wondered, as they never saw Him speaking to one before, out in the country or the street.

2 What seekest thou ?—They knew very well something wonderful would be the result of this colloquy.

3Left her water-pot.-S. John puts this little incident which is worth gold. She forgot all about the water, all about the presence of the

disciples. One thing alone was in her mind and took full possession of her. Had she found Messias?

All things. He may have told her more than is recorded here, or she may have judged from this little of what He could do.

"Out of the city.—They hearkened to a woman's words.

Rabbi, eat.—They knew he was weary and hungry before they left Him. Which you know not of.-This had two meanings. They neither knew of His infinite resources, nor of the substitute for food which He found in His work.

Hath any man brought Him ?-"If the woman did not understand about the drink, no wonder they did not understand about the food," remarks S. Augustine.

To do the will of Him that sent Me.-Not in bread alone was another form of the same thing. There seems to be a hint given to the disciples regarding their too great anxiety about the food of the body.

verum, quia Alius est qui seminat et alius est qui metit.

38. "Ego misi vos metere quod vos non laborâstis: alii laboraverunt, et vos in labores eorum introîstis."

39. Ex civitate autem illâ multi crediderunt in eum Samaritanorum, propter verbum mulieris testimonium perhibentis: "Quia dixit mihi omnia quæcumque feci."

40. Cùm venissent ergò ad illum Samaritani, rogaverunt eum ut ibì maneret. Et mansit ibì duos dies.

41. Et multò plures crediderunt in eum propter sermonem ejus.

42. Et mulieri dicebant: "Quia jàm non propter tuam loquelam credimus: ipse enim audivimus, et scimus quia hic est verè Salvator mundi."

true, That it is one man that soweth, and it is another that reapeth.

38. I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labour: others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours.

39. Now of that city many of the Samaritans believed in him, for the word of the woman giving testimony, that He told me whatsoever I have done.

40. So when the Samaritans were come to him, they desired him that he would stay there. And he stayed there two days.

41. And many more believed in him because of 10his own word.

42. And they said to the woman: We now believe, "not for thy saying: for we ourselves have heard him, and know that this is indeed the 12Saviour of the world.

Another of these idyllic scenes, so common in the Gospel history, presents itself to us here. The whole village seemed to empty itself of its inhabitants, and to move over the plain to where the woman showed them Our Lord was to be found.

He takes occasion from this to raise the ideas of His disciples from earthly harvests and their productions. Look at this harvest which you did not sow, but which you are called upon to reap. That poor woman sowed it. The prophets and patriarchs have been sowing for years, keeping religion alive. You are called upon to reap the fruit. Take courage and do it well, for your reward will be great.

The sequel is very interesting. They invite Our Lord and the disciples into their town, where they stay two days and make

multitudes of converts.

The woman seemed to have been a little

overpleased with herself. So she might be.

1Four months. This incident must have occurred about the beginning of January, as the harvest is ripe in Palestine in May.

The countries.—This procession from Sichem must take place all over the wide world.

3Fruit unto everlasting life.—An apostolic reaper must not look for his reward here. Enough that his mouth is not muzzled as he treads out the

corn.

*Rejoice together. The end of man, the salvation of souls, is all they have both in view.

Saying. Our Lord often used up old proverbs in order to make them remember the teaching which they illustrated.

Others have laboured.-He takes an instance from what they have just seen of how manifold may be the sowers under God's direction.

Word of the woman.-Many believed her. She seems to have been truthful, although not chaste. She acknowledged her faults at once and never excused herself.

Stay there. From the context it looks as if they wished Him to stay always.

Two days.-Lest the Jews would call Him a Samaritan with some show of truth. They did call him so (Chap. viii. 48).

19 His own word.-This was the efficacious grace.

"Not for thy saying.—She was likely claiming more credit than they thought was due to her.

12 Saviour of the world. Thus believed and thus confessed for the first time in a Samaritan village. John declared it at the Jordan.

In God's field:

Ist. Some are for preparing the soil.

2nd. Some for sowing.

3rd. Some for caring and pulling weeds.

4th. Some for reaping.

Fruits:

Ist. We must not be too pleased with ourselves on account of our success.

2nd. We must not expect all the thanks we deserve.

3rd. Heaven adjusts injustices.